‘Destiny 2’ Is Giving You Early Access to Lots of Good Content (Update)

With less than two months until the Destiny 2 release date we’ve got plenty of information on the game, including our first look at the campaign, its new villain called Ghaul, beta details and more.

There’s plenty of Nathan Fillion action in the trailers that have emerged and from what we’ve seen so far, Destiny 2 is looking great and should be awesome.

We’ll be updating this piece with everything we learn about Destiny 2 and its features, so make sure to keep us bookmarked.

When is Destiny 2 coming out?

Activision and developer Bungie have confirmed that the Destiny 2 release date is set for September 6, 2017 for Xbox One and PS4. There is a PC version too (rejoice), but you’ll have to wait a little longer for that one.

Will Destiny 2 ever come to PC?

Yes! For the first time, Destiny will be available on PC. However, there are a couple of catches. Firstly, it’ll only be available via Blizzard’s Battle.net portal rather than on Steam. You can read a little bit about that on the Battle.net Destiny 2 FAQ.

Then there’s the fact the Destiny 2 release date is set for September, but it won’t arrive at that time on PC. The Destiny 2 PC release date is set for October 24, 2017, which is almost two months after the console release on September 6.

What’s going on with the Destiny 2 beta?

The Destiny 2 beta will run from July 18 on PS4 and July 19 on Xbox One for pre-ordering players, while those who don’t want to risk a pre-order can join in on July 21. Then there’s a separate Destiny 2 PC beta that starts in late August, although specific times for that hasn’t been announced as yet.

As for the content, the beta will include the following for gamers to enjoy:

The opening mission for Destiny 2‘s campaign, Homecoming

Cooperative three-player strike, The Inverted Spire, where you’ll be heading into the heart of a Vex stronghold

Two competitive multiplayer modes – Countdown and Control

You’ll also get to mess around with a few of the game’s new subclasses – Dawnblade Warlock, Arcstrider Hunter and Sentinel Titan.

Bungie is also offering a one hour window where you can experience the game’s new social space, The Farm. Log on starting at 6pm BST/10am PT on Sunday, July 23.

Where can I watch the first Destiny 2 trailer?

Okay, it’s official. We’re excited. Bungie just revealed the very first Destiny 2 trailer, and it’s very different tonally from anything that was released for the original game or its expansion packs.

It stars Cayde-6, who you may know from the original game. He’s one of the Vanguard, the three top Guardians, and the guy you can buy Hunter (and Vanguard armour) from in the Tower in the original game.

The whole video, although short, is pretty hilarious. Take a look:

It shows the Tower and the Last City on fire at the end of the trailer, due to an attack by the Cabal. These “war rhinos” are shown as the enemies that Cayde-6 is taking out in his story.

Throughout the video you also get glimpses of the other two Vanguards – Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala – fighting alongside Cayde-6. It seems that these three highest-ranking Guardians could play a far bigger role in Destiny 2.

What do we know so far about Destiny 2?

For a while, we just had to be content with this incredibly mysterious Destiny 2 teaser image, which proved incredibly popular with fans. It seemed to show the familiar Traveller orb hanging behind the new big “2”, with something burning beneath it. On slightly closer inspection, it looked like some kind of urban environment is burning.

But Activision and developer Bungie has now given us a proper look at key features of the game. For a start there are going to be three new classes. Firstly you’ve got the Warlock’s Dawnblade, which comes with a flaming sword. Then you’ve got the Titan Sentinel, who’s equipped with a Captain America-esque shield and the Hunter Arcstrider has an electric staff.

Destiny 2 will also let you have three weapon slots, which are far more flexible than those found in the original game, which are called Energy, Kinectic and Power.

New areas to explore will include four new locations. There’s the Vex-controlled planetoid Nessus, the moons of Titan and IO and Earth’s European Dead Zone, which was actually cut from the original Destiny. We’re also loving the fact you’ll be able to launch activities from anywhere in the world, rather than having to always return to orbit.

Maps will showcase treasure hunts, activities, Raids, missions and more, as well as new dungeons called Lost Sectors. It’s worth mentioning though that Destiny 2 will launch with just one Raid.

There’s a new PvP mode though called Countdown where players much place a bomb in their opponent’s base and then guard it until its ready to blow. Destiny 2 will also feautre new strikes, other new PvP modes and more.

As for clan features, the game will have a much more robust clan system with in-game rosters, customisable banners and other features. There’s also a new system called “Guided Gamers” that allow players to temporarily join up with other clans for the game’s more involved and complicated content like raids and Nightfalls. It’s like a type of matchmaking where you can actively search for clans needing an extra player or vice versa.

What will the Destiny 2 story be like?

If Destiny 2 has a chance to be ultra successful, it’s got to fix the issues people had with the first game. For us, that was a lack of story. Yes, it set up what exactly the Traveller was, but beyond that, the information you were given and the missions you partook in were neither here nor there. Destiny 2, therefore, needs to have a much stronger sense of story.

Thanks to the special Destiny 2 live stream, we know now that there’s going to be a much stronger storyline in the game. It all begins with the ‘Homecoming mission’, which shows the massive force of the Cabal attacking the Tower. By the end of this mission, the good will have been overrun and defeated by evil. Guardians will lose their city, their powers and their vaults ot the Cabal’s Red Legion and Commander Ghaul.

The whole storyline in Destiny 2 is about getting out there and taking back what’s rightfully yours before taking down Ghaul himself.

In Destiny 2's Story Campaign, you'll embark on a massive journey to fight back against the Red Legion and reclaim our home. pic.twitter.com/rYa7Q2ApLQ

Check out the new Destiny 2 gameplay trailer, which gives you a good look at the story, featuring the three Vanguards, including our favourite Cayde-6.

Will you be rewarded for the time you spent playing Destiny 1?

What is interesting is that you’ll be able to take your Destiny character with you into Destiny 2, but not everything. In a post on the official website, Bungie revealed that even if your character will carry over, don’t expect to take everything with you.

Guardians armed with new armor and weapons in Rise of Iron

“Sequels represent the start of a new adventure for every player, with new worlds to explore, new stories to tell, new powers to acquire, new loot to earn, and much more. This led us to a decision that would enable us to serve both the game and the player’s best interests: Destiny 1 power, possessions, and Eververse-related items and currency will not carry forward. They will, however, remain accessible to you in Destiny 1.”

“We know that, just like us, you have grown fond of the Guardians you’ve created, so we do plan to preserve your character personalisation. We are going to recognise the dedication and passion you’ve shown for this world. Specifically, the class, race, gender, face, hair and marking selections for all the characters that have achieved Level 20 and completed the Black Garden story mission will carry forward.”

“We also plan to award those veteran accounts with honours that reflect your Destiny 1 accomplishments.”